Trump’s damage is not permanent

By Izayah Morgan

Opnions Editor

On Nov. 6, 2024, Donald Trump won the presidential election over Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. 

Over the course of this past year, his administration has done damage to this country that will take years or even generations to repair.

Steve Cohen, who represents Tennessee’s ninth congressional district, maintains a page, “Tracking the Trump Administration’s Harmful Executive Actions.” According to this page, “ in the spring of 2025, President Donald Trump launched a campaign of executive actions and public threats aimed at elite academic institutions - including Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania - accusing them of harboring antisemitism and promoting ‘anti-American’ values.”

Additionally, DEI programs have been under constant attack since the dismantling of the Department of Education.

Again, according to Cohen's page, “Trump has issued an executive order halting nearly all federal grants, including those funding public health, education, small businesses, and infrastructure projects.”

In my own experience, my semester's bills have shot up and the funding I have received from outside sources has dwindled. The struggle to push through this last year of my undergraduate education has been a reality check and damaging to my college experience as a whole.

The programs I do and don't participate in have had their budgets slashed -  in some cases in half  - and are struggling to find ways to do what they did before.  

Some universities are continuing DEI work in covert ways by changing the name of some centers and programs. 

Thankfully, other universities have been able to stand their ground against the administration and are fighting back. Framingham State President Nancy Niemi has made a commitment to continue to do the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion and is one of a very few of her state university presidential peers to do so.

Jeffery Coleman, vice president of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement and Jerome Burke, director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence, have continued  to promote DEI work despite the constant attacks from the federal government and severe budget cuts.  

Back in January, the Trump Administration sent mass emails encouraging about 2 million federal workers to resign, with threats of termination and loss of benefits. According to Cohen’s page, “as of February 12, 2025, approximately 77,000 federal employees - about 3.2% of the workforce - accepted the administration's buyout offer, falling short of the 5-10% target.”

Again a form of resistance.

These decisions have created a powder keg - highly unstable and due for explosion not too far ahead. 

The balance of liberty has leaned left or right many times throughout history. However, when the  scales tip too much in one direction, they eventually swing the other way.

The damage has been done by this administration and it may take years to rebuild what was broken in only so little time. It is similar to if you spent days building a large lego set and someone knocks it down in what seems like seconds.

Yes, things that take a long time to build up can be quick to fall. But, when something is built that is of value, it's faster to rebuild it and it comes back stronger.